Thai navy foils cross-border drug smuggling ring with 300kg meth seizure at border

The Thai navy seized 300 kilogrammes of meth as they foiled a cross-border drug smuggling ring at the border.

Mekong Riverine Unit officers were on patrol when they spotted a suspicious vehicle parked along the Mekong riverside in Nakhon Phanom, in the early hours of June 19.

They moved in to inspect it and found seven sacks of crystal meth, weighing around 661 pounds (300 kilogrammes).

Footage shows police ripping into a fertiliser sack, wrapped tightly in black plastic. Inside were several parcels of a white substance later confirmed to be meth.

Authorities believe the drugs were destined for inner Thailand, but the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled before they could be arrested.

Security agencies were expanding the investigation to identify and track down those involved..

Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan said the seized narcotics would have had a street value of more than 600 million baht.

He said: ‘This seizure marks a major disruption to a transnational narcotics trafficking network and reflects the efficiency of integrated forces in monitoring and intercepting threats along the country's waterways.

‘The Royal Thai Navy, through the Mekong Riverine Unit, will continue to intensify patrols, surveillance, and efforts to intercept all forms of illegal activity along the Mekong River.

‘We remain committed to protecting national interests, strengthening border security, and ensuring public safety to the fullest extent of our capabilities.'

Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.

Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.